![Il massiccio del Marsicano - Foto Angelina Iannarelli](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Il_massiccio_del_Marsicano_-_Foto_Angelina_Iannarelli.jpg)
Marsica is a geographical and historical region in the
Abruzzo
Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...
, central Italy, including 37 ''
comuni
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' in the
province of L'Aquila
The Province of L'Aquila ( it, Provincia dell'Aquila) is the largest, most mountainous and least densely populated province of the Abruzzo region of Central Italy. It comprises about half the landmass of Abruzzo and occupies the western part o ...
. It is located between the plain of the former
Fucine Lake
The Fucine Lake ( it, Lago Fucino or ) was a large endorheic lake in western Abruzzo, central Italy, stretching from Avezzano in the northwest to Ortucchio in the southeast, and touching Trasacco in the southwest. Once the third largest lake in I ...
, the
National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, the plain of
Carsoli Carsoli (Marsicano: ') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo (central Italy). The ancient Roman city lies southwest of the modern town.
History
The ancient city, known as ''Carsioli'' (or ''Carseoli''), was founded in the ...
and the valley of
Sulmona
Sulmona ( nap, label= Abruzzese, Sulmóne; la, Sulmo; grc, Σουλμῶν, Soulmôn) is a city and ''comune'' of the province of L'Aquila in Abruzzo, Italy. It is located in the Valle Peligna, a plain once occupied by a lake that disappeared in ...
.
The area takes its name from the
Marsi
The Marsi were an Italic people of ancient Italy, whose chief centre was Marruvium, on the eastern shore of Lake Fucinus (which was drained for agricultural land in the late 19th century). The area in which they lived is now called Marsica. ...
, an
Osco-Umbrian
The Osco-Umbrian, Sabellic or Sabellian languages are an extinct group of Italic languages, the Indo-European languages that were spoken in Central and Southern Italy by the Osco-Umbrians before being replaced by Latin, as the power of Ancient Rom ...
Italic people, and then from the Latin adjective ''marsicus''. In the center of the area there is the Fucino former lake, dried up in 1877, surrounded by parks and nature reserves.
Avezzano
Avezzano ( or ; nap, Avezzàne, label=Neapolitan language, Marsicano ) is a city and ''comune'' with a population of 40,819 inhabitants, situated in the Abruzzo region, province of L'Aquila, Italy. It is the second most populous municipality in th ...
is the most populous city of the territory. Marsica has about 130,000 inhabitants as of 2019.
''Comuni''
The Marsica includes 37 ''comuni'':
Aielli,
Avezzano
Avezzano ( or ; nap, Avezzàne, label=Neapolitan language, Marsicano ) is a city and ''comune'' with a population of 40,819 inhabitants, situated in the Abruzzo region, province of L'Aquila, Italy. It is the second most populous municipality in th ...
,
Balsorano Balsorano (Marsicano: ') is a ''comune'' (municipality) and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
History
Balsorano is mentioned for the first time in the 10th century. During the Middle Ages and modern era, it was hel ...
,
Bisegna,
Canistro
Canistro is a ''comune'' (municipality) and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy.
Geography
Canistro, located in the Roveto valley, borders to the north with Capistrello and the ''frazione'' of Pescocanale, t ...
,
Capistrello
Capistrello is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central-southern Italy. It is located at the border between the upper Liri River valley and the Marsica. Capistrello borders the following municipalities: Av ...
,
Cappadocia
Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde.
According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...
,
Carsoli Carsoli (Marsicano: ') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo (central Italy). The ancient Roman city lies southwest of the modern town.
History
The ancient city, known as ''Carsioli'' (or ''Carseoli''), was founded in the ...
,
Castellafiume,
Celano,
Cerchio,
Civitella Roveto
Civitella Roveto ( Abruzzese: ') is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy.
Geography
The town isin the Marsica region, located in the center of the Roveto valley, on the slopes of the Cantari mo ...
,
Civita d'Antino
Civita d'Antino ( la, Antinum) is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila, in the Abruzzo region of Central Italy.
History
''Antinum'' was a city of the Marsi: it is mentioned in ancient sources only by Pliny, who enumerates Antinum amon ...
,
Collarmele
Collarmele is a ''comune'' and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle ...
,
Collelongo
Collelongo (Marsicano: ') is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It i ...
,
Gioia dei Marsi
Gioia dei Marsi is a ''comune'' (municipality) and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
It is located on the Fucino Lake plain border, in the Marsica.
Twin towns
* Pratola Peligna
Pratola Peligna ( Abruzzese: ') is ...
,
Lecce nei Marsi
Lecce nei Marsi is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
It is located near the Fucino Lake plain, in the Marsica
Marsica is a geographical and historical region in the Abruzzo, central Italy, including ...
,
Luco dei Marsi
Luco dei Marsi is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central-eastern Italy. It is part of the Marsica.
The town was probably founded by the Roman Emperor Claudius to house workers in the drying of the ''Lacu ...
,
Magliano de' Marsi
Magliano de' Marsi is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of southern-central Italy. The town is in the historical region Marsica.
Main sights
*Church of Santa Lucia, in late Gothic- Romanesque style, with Baro ...
,
Massa d'Albe
Massa d'Albe is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is part of the Marsica.
The town was founded in the 14th century by the inhabitants of the ancient Alba Fucens, whose remains are in the a ...
,
Morino
Morino is a ''comune'' and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
Geography
A town of Abruzzo, Morino is in the center of the Roveto valley, in the Marsica
Marsica is a geographical and historical region in the Abr ...
,
Opi,
Oricola
Oricola (Marsicano: ') is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, central Italy, located near the regional boundary with Latium
Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded ...
,
Ortona dei Marsi Ortona dei Marsi is a comune and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is included in traditional area of Marsica. The commune is part of the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise. Ortona dei Marsi is situ ...
,
Ortucchio
Ortucchio is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy.
See also
*Castello Piccolomini (Ortucchio)
Castello Piccolomini (Italian for ''Piccolomini Castle'') is a Middle Ages castle in Ortucchio, ...
,
Ovindoli
Ovindoli ( Abruzzese: ') is a village and ''comune'' of the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. Close to Rome, it is a resort for both summer and winter sports, including hiking, biking, equestrian activities and downhil ...
,
Pereto
Pereto ( Marsicano: ') is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
It was an ancient centre of the Marsi.
Main sights
*Medieval castle, with its 13th-century imposing towers, which belonged to the Colon ...
,
Pescasseroli
Pescasseroli (, Marsicano: '', '') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of L'Aquila, in Southern Abruzzo, central Italy.
A summer and winter resort, it is also the location of the Abruzzo National Park, nestled in the heart of the Monti Ma ...
,
Pescina
Pescina () is a township and ''comune'' in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, central Italy. It is a part of the mountain community Valle del Giovenco.
Geography
Pescina borders on the communes of Celano, Collarmele, Gioia dei Marsi, Ortona d ...
,
Rocca di Botte
Rocca di Botte is a ''comune'' and town of 860 people in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, central Italy.
History
During the Middle Ages the town was known as ''Rocca de Bucte'', according to documents dating back to the 12th century. In the 17th ...
,
San Benedetto dei Marsi
San Benedetto dei Marsi ( la, Marruvium, ; grc, Μαρούϊον, translit=Maroúïon) is a ''comune ''and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is on the eastern shore of the dried Lake Fucino, from the rem ...
,
San Vincenzo Valle Roveto
San Vincenzo Valle Roveto is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
Geography
The town is located at an altitude of 388 meters above sea level, along the Roveto valley, in Marsica.
History
The mediev ...
,
Sante Marie
Sante Marie is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila, in the Abruzzo region of central Italy
It is served by a station on the Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King R ...
,
Scurcola Marsicana,
Tagliacozzo
Tagliacozzo (Marsicano: ') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, central Italy.
History
Tagliacozzo lies in an area inhabited in early historic times by the Aequi and the Marsi, although the first mentions of the town ...
,
Trasacco
Trasacco (Marsicano: ') is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central-eastern Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. I ...
,
Villavallelonga
Villavallelonga (locally ''La Vìlla'') is a village and ''comune'' in the Abruzzo region in central Italy. A part of Marsica traditional area, it is included in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park.
Main sights
* Giardino Botanico "Loret ...
.
Geography
The Marsican region extends for about 1906 km² on a heterogeneous territory; the flat areas are the
Fucino basin (140 km²), the Palentini plains (60 km²) and the more contained Cavaliere plain. Mount Velino is its highest peak (2487 m) while the lower area is located in the comune of Balsorano (293 m). The greatest differences in height are recorded in
Magliano dei Marsi and in
Celano; on the contrary the comune of San Benedetto dei Marsi, overlooking the lake, has an excursion of 50 meters. The highest municipalities are Ovindoli and Opi, respectively located at an altitude of 1 375 and 1 250 meters above sea level.
History
Ancient
The region takes its name from the ancient Osco-Umbrian population of the Marsi. The capital of the Marsi was originally
Marruvium. Other important centers were Antinum, Lucus Angitiae and, in Aequi's territory, on the border with the Marsi,
Alba Fucens
Alba Fucens was an ancient Italic town occupying a lofty location (1,000 m) at the foot of the Monte Velino, c. 6.5 km north of Avezzano, Abruzzo, central Italy. Its remains are today in the ''comune'' of Massa d'Albe.
History
It was ...
and
Carsioli Carsoli (Marsicano: ') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo (central Italy). The ancient Roman city lies southwest of the modern town.
History
The ancient city, known as ''Carsioli'' (or ''Carseoli''), was founded in the ...
. Alba Fucens, after the Roman conquest, became a
Latin colony
A Roman (plural ) was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of a Roman city. It is also the origin of the modern term ''colony''.
Characteri ...
. The region was one of the main scenarios of the
social war, which is also called ''bellum Marsicum''. With the territorial reorganization of Italy operated with the birth of the Empire, the Marsi were included within the
Samnium
Samnium ( it, Sannio) is a Latin exonym for a region of Southern Italy anciently inhabited by the Samnites. Their own endonyms were ''Safinim'' for the country (attested in one inscription and one coin legend) and ''Safineis'' for the The lan ...
.
Middle age
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the territory was, like the rest of the Italian peninsula, part of the Ostrogothic kingdom and then conquered by the Byzantines. Following the Lombard invasion, it became part of the Longobard
Duchy of Spoleto
The Duchy of Spoleto (, ) was a Lombard territory founded about 570 in central Italy by the Lombard ''dux'' Faroald. Its capital was the city of Spoleto.
Lombards
The Lombards had invaded Italy in 568 AD and conquered much of it, establishing ...
.
Abruzzo
Treccani.
1915 earthquake
Marsica was hit hard by the one-minute, 7.0 magnitude 1915 Avezzano earthquake, which obliterated most buildings in the valley and killed the vast majority of people in Avezzano and some other nearby villages. In spite of the demise of Avezzano in the quake, the population centres got built up and increased in population afterwards. The high number of casualties was caused by no building code
A building code (also building control or building regulations) is a set of rules that specify the standards for constructed objects such as buildings and non-building structures. Buildings must conform to the code to obtain planning permission ...
s being in force with the weak houses capsizing as well as the very unusual length of the shaking and it happening in the early morning.
Parks
The Marsica territory is rich in parks and natural reserves. Apart the Abruzzo National Park, it includes the natural reserve of Zompo lo Schioppo, the Regional Natural Park of Sirente-Velino, the Monte Velino Natural Reserve, and the Monte Salviano Natural Reserve. The most characteristic animal species is the Marsican brown bear
The Marsican brown bear (''Ursus arctos arctos'', formerly ''Ursus arctos marsicanus''), also known as the "Apennine brown bear", and in Italian, is a critically endangered population or subspecies of the Eurasian brown bear, with a range rest ...
, an endemism
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
of Marsica.
See also
*Marsi
The Marsi were an Italic people of ancient Italy, whose chief centre was Marruvium, on the eastern shore of Lake Fucinus (which was drained for agricultural land in the late 19th century). The area in which they lived is now called Marsica. ...
*Avezzano
Avezzano ( or ; nap, Avezzàne, label=Neapolitan language, Marsicano ) is a city and ''comune'' with a population of 40,819 inhabitants, situated in the Abruzzo region, province of L'Aquila, Italy. It is the second most populous municipality in th ...
*Fucine Lake
The Fucine Lake ( it, Lago Fucino or ) was a large endorheic lake in western Abruzzo, central Italy, stretching from Avezzano in the northwest to Ortucchio in the southeast, and touching Trasacco in the southwest. Once the third largest lake in I ...
*Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise
Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park ( Italian: ''Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise'') is an Italian national park established in 1923. The majority of the park is located in the Abruzzo region, with smaller parts in Lazio and Molise. I ...
References
External links
Official website
Site area
{{Authority control
Geography of Abruzzo
Geographical, historical and cultural regions of Italy
Avezzano